Portland Works, the community-owned home of Sheffield makers

Walk through the gates of Portland Works in Highfield and you step into a living piece of Sheffield history. Built in the late 1870s as a cutlery works, the Grade II* listed building is one of the last remaining working examples of a purpose-built metal trades factory, and it is still full of people making things.

Its place in history is secure. In 1914, at R. F. Mosley's works inside Portland Works, Harry Brearley, Ernest Stuart and R. F. Mosley made it the first place in the world to manufacture stainless steel cutlery. It was Ernest Stuart, of Mosley's, who suggested the name stainless steel, the term that went on to be adopted everywhere.

The building's survival is a story of community spirit. After about fifty years of neglect, Portland Works was bought in 2013 through one of the country's largest community share issues, saving it from conversion into flats. Today it is owned by a social enterprise operating as a community benefit society, backed by more than 500 community shareholders and supported by a team of volunteers.

Inside, around 2,600 square metres of workshops are home to more than 30 small businesses. Tenants include craftspeople, artists, small manufacturers and a community hackspace. Among the names on the doors are Sheffield Hackspace, David Riley Model Maker, Quality Cabinetry, Tietzsch Guitars, Wilebore Leather Goods, Locksley Distilling, Andy Cole Tools, The Jewellery Business, Shaw Engraving and PML Silver Plating.

An extensive renovation is under way to secure the building's future, and the Works continues to open its doors to the public. The 2026 Summer Open Day was set for Saturday 18 July and the annual general meeting for 23 September, while Open Studios and a Christmas Market are on the way for the festive season.

It is a place where Sheffield's reputation for making is not a museum piece but a daily reality, with skills passed on in the same rooms where cutlers once worked.

Anyone keen to visit, volunteer or become a shareholder can find details on the Portland Works website, along with news of upcoming open days and events.